Diet tabulator



Dec. 20, 1960 E. D. LEWIS 2,965,292

DIET TABULATOR Filed Feb. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 16.1 TIC-n2 INVENTOR. Bowman D. LEM/l5 ATTCIZHEYS Dec. 20, 1960 E. D. LEWIS 2,965,292

DIET TABULATOR Filed Feb. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 P16 .4 1 1GB III II I I I I I I I I 6 o INVENTOR. Eowmzo D. Lzwus ATTORNEY-S Unitcd State Pietefi v DIET TABULATOR Edward D. Lewis, San Frailcisco, Calif. (142 N. Marshall St., York, la.)

Filed Feb. 25, 1958, S61. No. 717,383 1 Claim. (Cl. 235-78) This invention relates to tabulating devices, and more particularly to a portable tabulator for enabling a person to. totalize the various ingredients found in food articles consumed.

The-main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved diet tabulator which is simple in construction, which is compact in size and which is easy to operate.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved diet tabulator which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is durable in construction, and which enables a person using same to quickly and easily totalize the various ingredients in a given food article which be consumes so as to ascertain the total value of the protein, mineral, vitamin, and other specific ingredients contained in-thefood article, or; -to tabulate the total number of calories containedin various items consumed ata given meal or over a given period of time, from data carried with the tabulator.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be- Figure 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional detail-view taken on-the line 4-4 of Figure- 1'.

Figure S-is a cross sectional detail view taken on the "[45 facing lower shoulder elements 35 of the-upwardly ad a- .1 :cent horizontal bar elements 23, as.is clearly shownv iii 7 line S--5 of Figure 4. 1

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view. taken on the line 6,6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 6. I

Figure 8 is a perspective detail view showing certain of the elements of the totalizingportion of the tabulator, the elements being shown in separated position.

:Figure 9 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 99 of Figure 6.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a diet tabulator according to the present invention, said tabulator comprising a relatively flat elongated housing 12 of anv suitable material. such as molded plastic material, said housing comprising a front wall 13 and a back cover 14. hinged at 14' to the top portion of the housing. the front .wall 13 being inte rallv' united with a ton wall 15, sidewall portions 16 and 17 and'a bottomwall 18. The upper port on .of the hous ng is formedwi h the narti: tion.19 defining a space 20 between the partition wall 19 and the coverl4. said hace'bein ad pted to contain suitableeards provid d with the st tistical inf ma i n C mprising the f od ingredient values associated w th different s ecific food articles ordinarily consumed bv an individual. Thus. the data' -cards may contain the unit values o'f.such"ingredients.asprotein, calcium, iron. vitar n A. t iam ne. rib fl in. n acin. ascorbic acid, or the like, contained in specific food articles, namely, the in- Patented Dec. 20, 1960 gredients other than carbohydrates and fats. The cards; llld/ hlSO CUnlalll lulufnlhhuu U (C HUIUDCI OI CALOILCS piwciii in will values u! such E0005.

As shown in rigure 4, tin: nlugdd back cover 14 is 5 provided WlLAA a noiizoiiiai Dull-U1 waii eieiiieiii 21, said ootioni waii eiemeiit llltlllofl'dhy engaging over the hoi'izontai bottom nange 21' or member is and denning a support ror the data cards aoove uescribed.

iiie ooiiom euge or the cover 14 is ri'ici'ionally engagew able beneath a horizoniai naiige 16' formed on the edge or me oottom wail 16, as shown in Figure 2.

The front wall 13 is formed at its upper portion with a pluraLty of horizontally extending slots 22 defining the horizontal calibrated bar elements 23 therebetween, said calibrated bar elements being generally trapezoidal in,

transverse cross sectional shape, as shown in Figure 2, and being inscribed on their front faces 24 with respective numerical scales of the quantitative values of the respective ingredients contained in unit quantities of specific foods. Thus, the front faces 24 of the horizontaliy ex- 25 ents in food articles other than carbohydrates and fats.

The front wall 13 is further formed with the respective horizontally extending rearbar elements 25 located between the scale bar elements 23 and spaced rearwardly therefrom, as shown in Figure 2. ;Slidably mounted in the,

respective slots 22 are respective index elements 26, said; ;index elements having the upwardly tapering pointer por.----;

tions 27 which are slidably disposed against the inclined lower forward surfaces 24 of the respective horizontal bar members 23, as shown in Figure 4. The index elements .35 are formed with hooked lower flanges 29 which are slid- -l ably engaged around the top wall portions 30 of the subjacent horizontal bar elements 23, as shown in Figure 4, I the inner vertical wall surfaces 31 of the index arms being slidably engaged against the inner bar elements 25, whereby the index members 26 are positively supported for.

-.horizontal sliding movement. Each index element 26 is formed with the upper lug element 33 which projects for-: wardly, as shown in Figure 4,.and which is yieldably en gageable in detent recesses 34 formed in the rearwardly Figures 4 and 5. The recesses 34 are spaced by the same distances as the calibrations on the sloping lower forward surfaces 24 of the bar members 23, so that the index... members 26 maybe yieldably held in positions adjacent. r; the respective calibrations.

The front wall 13 is formed at its top portion with an additional slot 36 which is substantially greater in length than the previously described slots 22, but which is other- 3 wise similarly provided with a downwardly and inwardly inc ined horizontally extending wall surface 37 inscribed with a calorie scale, as shown in Figure 1. An index ele-. ment 38 is slidably mounted in the slot 36 in the same manner as the previously describedindex elements 26,

the index element 38 being provided with. a detent lug which is engageable with detentrecesses to yieldably hold the index element 38 at points adjacent the respective.- calibrations on the calorie scale.

The front wall 13 is formed with a vertical slot 39 in 5 which is received the generally oblong shank 40 of-a -rivet-..

head 43 which is threadedlvengaged axially in the end.

portion of the shank 40. Shank 40 interfits with the ver-" tical slot 39 so that the rivet 41 is non-rotatable relat ve to the front wall 13. Rotatably mounted on the oblong shank 40 between the front wall 13 and inner head-43 are a plurality of disc members, for example, four disc members 44, 45, 46 and 47, of gradually increasing diameter, whereby the peripheral portion of the rear wardly adjacent disc member 18 exposed at the periphery of each disc member 44, 45 and 46. The peripheral portions of the respective disc members 44 to 47 are inscribed with respective numerical scales from zero to nine, as is clearly shown in Figures 6 and 8. Each disc member is formed inwardly of its numericalscale and adjacent its central aperture with the spaced series of detent recesses 50 which are angularly spaced in the same manner as the numerals of the associated scale.

lnterposed between the frontwall 13 and the smallest disc member 44 and non-rotatably engaged'on the shank 40 is a friction washer 51. As shown in Figure 8, the friction washer is formed with the oblong aperture 52 in which the shank 40 isreceived. Similar friction washers are interposedbetween the disc member 44 and disc member 45, discmember 45 and disc member 46, and disc member 46 and disc member 47. The respective friction washers 51 are formed with detent lug elements 52 which are yieldably engageable in the detent recesses 50 of the adjacent disc members, as shown in Figure 9.

The front wall 13 is formed below the outer head portion 42 of rivet 41 with the concentric spaced slots 53 to 56, said slots 53 to 56 being of equal angular length and being-located adjacent and being concentric with the lower peripheral portions'of the respective disc members 44 t'o47. Respective pin elcrnents"57, 58, 59 and 60' are rigidly secured to-the lo'wer peripheral portionsof said disc members and=project outwardly through the respective"slots-53 to-SG; providing means for manually adjusting the respective-disc member's.

Front'wall 13 is formed above the 'extemal head poriron 42 or rivet 41 and diametrically opposite the center portions of the slots 53 to 56 with the radial window 61 through which the respective numerica'l scales on the disc members 44 to 47 are exposed, whereby the numbers of said scales may be radially aligned in the manner illustrated in Figures 1 and 6, to provide a total result from the addition of a number of food ingredient values in a manner presently to be described.

Thus, in using'the device, the individual may'determine' the various amounts of the different food ingredients containedin' a given food articlen'nder' consideration, and may set the index'e'leme'nts 26'to'corresponding-points n the'scales carried'hy the surfaces 24 associated with the respective index elements. The values are supplied from the data cards carried in the back cover 14, said cards being consulted, as required. Having established the values of the various ingredients, the total of all of said values may be determined by employing the concentrically arranged number discs 44 to 47. The various numerical values given by the index elements 26 may be successiv'elv added, one after the other, using the discs 44 to 47 to ascertain the successive totals, starting with the innermost d sc 44. the discs being rot ted by means of their associated operating pins 57 to 60. After the last tabulation, the total value of' the food in redients will apnear in the window 61. as illustrated in Figure I.

Since the slots 53 to 56 are centered be ow the r d al Wind 61. t e pins 57 to 60 are g ouped in a readily accessible and mutu l'v nonmbstrnctin arra gement so th t t ev T v be eas'i v moved a ong their arcnate miide slots to positions rea n corre ndin to the desired numbe to b exh it d in t e ra l W nd 61.. nce the wi dow 6 is centered above the cnate' slots 53 to 56. s id wi d h s mashum vi twum at a l t s. Thus. t e Ii -sired bers mav be e bit d w i e h d in: defig 11111401 and 'rtwo'tina the ifid vilin'al r5119 57 to 65 sncces i elv he r dial W ndow 61 Being viibl at all'ti'mejs during this process and' remaining vertical.

Furthermore, it is never necessary to rotate any of the disc memoers 44 low through ananglegreater-than that subtended by the arcuate slots- 53 to :6, thereby making the device relatively easy to operate.

The total calorie content or the various foods con sumed in a given meal or in a given set of other circumstances can be similarly tabulated by setting up the various calorie quantities successively, using the index memher as and the callhr ted calql s al and cc sively adding the calorie quantities, using the tabulator discs 44 to 47 in the same tilahner'as above described in connection with the protein, mineral, andvitamin ingredients. Thegcaloritic valucs flfiY tl'it lts d .items will, of course, be listed on the data cards carried in the cover compartment 20.

While a specific embodiment of a diet tabulator has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood thatvarious modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to" those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is 'int'endedthat "no'limitations be placed on the invention except 'as defined by thescope of the ap-- pended claim.

What isclaimed is: In a ta'bulatorof the character described, a housing pr0- vided' with a: front wall, said front-wall being formed with a slot, at rivet member engaged through said slot,

said rivet memhen having enlarged opposite end portions" and a shank riieniber connecting said end portions, said shank member "being substantially oblong'in-eross section and fitting non rotatalily in said slot, apluralit-yof disc members engagedonsaidshank niember 'inwardly ot 'sa'id frontwall, said-disc inernliers increasing in diameter inweirdly-from saidtront "wail fuihel'chy theperipheral por tions of the sticcesslvefdisc members are exposed jfor wardly, saiddisememtiers bein' gprovided with re'spective scales of uniformly angularly spaced digit numerals'from zero to nineat their-peripheral portions, said front wall being formedw-ith" a'window extending radially from said slot through which thedigit numerals'o'f said scalesare"- exposed, said disc members being formed with circular central aperturesreceiving said shank member, whereby the disc members are -rotatable on said shank member, respective friction washers mounted on the shank mem' ber between the adjacent disc members, said washers being similar in size and having oblong central apertures non-rotatively feceiviiig" said'shank' member, said front wall being formed with respective arcuatc slots of eq'ual angularlengtli sd seenrtlie periphrafportions 'of' the disc members, the central portions of the areuat'e' slots being located diametrically eppesnetne radially extending window, respective actuating pins on the peripheraiportions' of the disc members and projecting through said' lastnamed slots, said disc members being formed inwardly" of their scales 'and'adjacent their central apertures with circularlyarranged rows oflocking reces'ses spaced'by' the same n les as said itnu ra s. and detent lu s n e: respective washers adiacent the'centrai apertures ofsaid disc members yieldably engagcable in said recesses.

References Cited in the file or this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 780.853 

